India-Pakistan Tension

Improvement in the relations between India and Pakistan will continue to look a mirage till some miraculous changes take place in the behavior and approach of the powerful states visa-a-vis smaller nations and their problems. Both India and Pakistan remain at loggerheads, since their independence, Inspite of their history of deadly wars, poverty and diseases. Despite writing documents of peace after each battle, they could not make any progress towards peace or normalization of relations during the last 54 years. On the contrary now the nuclear capability of both these countries poses a great danger to a huge population of millions of human beings in this sub continent. In fact the road to peace passes through Kashmir which is blocked by India. How unfortunate?

India opens each time some new Pandora’s box to belie all hopes of peace and reconciliation for the suffering humanity of our region. India has chosen a horrendous path of militarism to resolve the Kashmir dispute with Kashmir and Pakistan. Every time India, in order to silence the people of Kashmir, enacted draconian laws and now the Govt of India has put a new law on its statute-book, called Prevention of Terrorism Act(POTA), which gives police sweeping powers to detain a person and seize and confiscate his/her property as a terrorist. According to the Indian dictate now anybody expressing his faith in the right of self-determination or advocating human rights sanctity is a terrorist and is liable to detention or prosecution any time on flimsy grounds. India justifies her barbaric steps against Kashmiris in the name of so called “proxy war by Pakistan”, but at the same time India rejects any UN monitoring of the inside situation. India is allergic to third party mediation over Kashmir. It is strange that India is not ready to show any proof of foreign interference to the United Nations or to allow the monitoring teams of the “US led coalition against terrorism” to visit Kashmir.

The Govt of India has enhanced her military budget only to crush the 20th century freedom struggle and intensify human rights abuses, thus adding fuel to fire in Kashmir and elsewhere. The systematic ethnic cleansing of minorities, especially those of Muslims in Gujrat-loot, arson and gang rape of their women in broad day light under the patronage of the Govt and law enforcing agencies is a living example of religious fanaticism and terrorism in India. One day the world will have to discover with surprise a poisonous cobra of cast/race fanaticism with wings of terrorism hidden in higher Indian castes-equally threat to all other cultures, religions and races in the world. For the world it is better to wake up now and it should not attribute everything to the slogan of Jehad in the Muslim world. West claims to be liberal and secular. Is there any scope for a secular culture in a racial and cast system like this, we find in the beliefs of Balthakrey like leaders and followers.

Kashmiris in Kashmir follow for centuries a culture of co-existence between cultural groups of Muslims and Non-Muslims and despite separate religious beliefs, there is no notion of , no room for racial/cast supremacy or discrimination in Kashmir. On the contrary Indian ruling class is a racial class and wants to govern by racialism. This is the root cause of tension between India and Pakistan over Kashmir and this very hidden phenomenon might start a war between the two countries.

The high profile emissaries of the world are one after another paying visits to both India and Pakistan to defuse the tension. But the world has not achieved as yet any substantive success in this regard and western citizens have been directed by their govts to leave this region. At the same time this dilemma has some other aspects.

Financial Times, says, the arms dealers see bonanza in Pak-India stand off. It writes, while the international community calls for restrain on the Indo-Pak border, Govts led by the UK & USA are jockeying as never before for a bigger slice of Indian budget.

In March this year(2002) India launched a new military intelligence agency to bring the existing army, navy and air force networks under one roof. The Defense intelligence Agency(DIA) is modeled along western lines and will be headed by an army Gen, as per a defense ministry announcement.

The Indian Govt has also enhanced intelligence funds to boost the activities of its different networks and establish the most modern spying and counter spying system. Mr. B L Kak A well known Indian columnist throws some light on its statistics in the Indian Express. Some excerpts of the report are given bellow:-

“A substantial increase in the annual outlay of country’s intelligence agencies has been made available in the budget proposal of 2002-03. The 209-page document titled “Expenditure budget 2002-03 made public by the Finance Minister mentioned only one outfit, namely Intelligence Bureau(IB), as the Govts secrecy-for the-sake-of-secrecy policy prevented Mri Yashvant Sinha from disclosing details of the enhanced financial outlay for other intelligence agencies, particularly the Research And Analysis Wing(RAW), Military intelligence(MI), BSF intelligence Organization. More money for all intelligence agencies will also lead to an increase in the Source fund during the 2002-03 financial year over the revised allocation during 2001-02.-

The total plan and non-plan allocation for the IB during 2002-03 has been fixed at Rs 349.10 crores. Equally striking feature of the 2002-03 budget allocation of the Ministry of Home Affairs is a substantial amount of money (Rs 341.79 crores) earmarked for the prestigious organization, known as SSB (Special Security Bureau).-

Of the financial allocation of the order of rupees 10743.20 crores earmarked for the Home Ministry, Border Security Force(BSF) will get Rs. 2607.24 crores as against the revised outlay of Rs. 2289.55 crores during 2001-02 Financial year. Similarly the Finance Minster has proposed Rs 1998.79 crores for the central reserve Police Force. (CRPF), Rs 97.69 Crores for the national security Guard (NSG), Rs. 446.67 crores for Indo-Tibetan Border Police(ITBP), -and Rs 719.17 crores for Assam Rifles.-

“A substantial increase has been brought in the allocation of funds for indo-Pakistan Border works, from Rs, 91.95 crores in 2001-02 to Rs. 186. 99 crores during the 2002-03 financial year. According to Mr. Yashvant Sinha, provision has been made to check inflow of arms and ammunition from across the Indo-Pakistan Border. With a view to meeting the Financial requirements on India’s representation 157 missions and posts abroad, the finance minister has proposed Rs 787.82 crores during the next Financial Year as against Rs. 759.92 crores in 2001-02.

The Ministry OF External Affairs will for the next financial Year get a total of Rs. 3238.34 crores as against Rs. 2830 crores during 2001-02. A sum of Rs 785.01 crores has been earmarked as special diplomatic expenditure during the next Financial Year, as against Rs. 690.01 crores in 2001-02″.

This is only a little bit of India’s security preparedness, but the hidden agenda is much greater in as for as the aggressive designs are concerned.. India tries to gain maximum out of the US slogan of war against terrorism. In fact, India wants to annihilate Kashmiris by labeling them as Al-Qaida members. It is only a lame excuse, otherwise till recently India called Kashmiri freedom fighters as misguided youth.

There is also the fear of adopting by India, the pre-emption doctrine of America. Peter W Galbraith a former ambassador to Croatia, is not wrong when he says, “NO place is the risk greater than in South Asia. If India adopted the American doctrine of pre-emption, it risks a nuclear war, with devasting consequences for the world.”

It is in this background that India is not ready to start negotiations with Pakistan when the later has repeatedly offered unconditional talks to the former. India is not ready to pull back troops from attack positions on Pakistan’s border unless Pakistan meets her irrelevant demands or till so called Assembly elections in Kashmir. Does India want that Pakistan should ban struggle of the people of J&K people for their brothers across the LoC? No-that can not happen. As for the movement in Srinagar, it is an internal struggle of Kashmiris. Pakistan can not Join hands, with India to stop the call for freedom in Kashmir. India is suppressing the armed struggle in Kashmir, would she instead recognize peaceful political fight of Kashmiris for their birth right-the right of self-determination? India’s stand off, bellicosity, refusal to hold talks with Pakistan, curbing of peaceful political activities inside Kashmir by extreme repressive laws, human rights abuses, thrusting farce polls on Kashmir, and making ridiculous proposal of joint India Pak patrolling of LoC, and recently the custodial brutal murder of a Pakistani soldier by India on the border, indicates that the tensity in India-Pakistan relations will increase further, as India will remain in search of any excuse to attack Azad Kashmir. Because, the political cry against India inside Kashmir is not in anybody’s hands. Over 80000 graves of martyrs spread all over Kashmir are enough to remain as centers for uprising-not necessarily armed. Will people forget their beloved martyrs?

Therefore, India should not blame Pakistan for everything in the valley . Such intransigent approach towards regional dispute will never help India stop the music against her in the occupied territory. Redeem your historical pledges with Kashmiris and stop there bloodshed. That is urgently required. And remember Children born in turmoil are of a different mettle as compared with the people who died before it.

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